Radioactive Containers Likely Left Japan Before Checks Began

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Five shipping containers detained in Rotterdam after testing positive for radiation probably left Japan before a screening program started, the Asian nation’s transport ministry said.

Japanese authorities officially began scanning cargo boxes for radiation on April 28 because of concerns about leaks from a nuclear plant crippled by a March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Koji Takahashi, director of the transport ministry’s ports and harbors bureau, said today by phone. The journey time to Europe is about 30 days.